RICHARDSON, Texas (April 15, 2002) - Staff members of The UTD
Mercury, the student-run newspaper at The University of Texas at
Dallas (UTD), were recognized for their work at the recent 94th Annual
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) convention, a prestigious
journalism conference held in Fort Worth.

The Mercury staff captured 10 honors, including one in live
competition held during the event and nine for material published during
the 2001 calendar year. The awards included two first place distinctions.
Nine members of the newspaper staff attended to conference, at which the
students also attended presentations by leading professional journalists.

In the contest involving previously published material, The Mercury
competed in a division made up of colleges and universities in Texas with
enrollments of more than 7,500 and that publish newspapers less than four
times per week. Among the 20 schools competing in the division were Lamar
University, Stephen F. Austin State University and The University of Texas
at El Paso. Judging was conducted by staff members from The Arizona
Republic (Phoenix) and journalism faculty members from East Carolina
State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of
Southern Indiana.

“I’m very proud of The Mercury staff’s efforts throughout the
past year,” advisor Jay Miller said. “I believe the wide variety of awards
speaks to the depth of talent that we’re beginning to attract to UTD’s
student newspaper.”

The UTD Mercury is published on Mondays at two-week intervals
during the school year, except holidays and exam periods, and once every
three weeks during the summer. The newspaper is available online at
www.utdallas.edu/student/mercury/.

Established in 1909, TIPA works to open channels of communication and
cooperation among student media programs at two and four-year colleges and
universities in Texas. Some of those media include student newspapers,
newsletters, yearbooks, magazines and radio and television stations.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of
Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major
multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor,
enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The
school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas
state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a
broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For
additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site
at www.utdallas.edu.